Diamonds and Pearls

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 4

"If we stop at the nearest port, they will likely find us. That's a damn large ship they are on. We can probably out sail them, if we continue straight on until we reach the Isle of Lust. I doubt anyone in the English fleet is mad enough to follow us there." Gaara says.

Itachi considers Gaara's words. Instinct told him to dock as soon as possible, but the red head was right. The English would realize that was likely their next move. The other Captain's suggestion was a sound one.

"Very well. Keep sailing towards the Isle of Lust, Konan." Itachi instructs the pirate woman.

"Yes, Captain!" The blue haired woman replies and continues steering the vessel onward.

Itachi nods. He looks back and was relieved to see that the English ship was a bit further away than it had been before. It was likely they were still reeling from the death of their Captain.

"Good shot, Hidan. Yeah?!" Deidara says.

"Thanks, Princess." Hidan replies as he scans the horizon, just as his Captain was doing.

Gaara couldn't shake his feeling of unease. That had been just a little bit too easy. The English fleet should have posed more of a challenge, even if it was just one ship. Itachi must have sensed his unease because he places his hand on the other man's shoulder reassuringly.

"When a Captain dies, even the strongest ship and finest crew will scramble for a few minutes. Hidan bought us some time. There is no one who can sail faster than Konan. We will make it out of this just fine. Sasuke and Naruto are smart enough to head to the Isle of Lust. You'll see." The Sharingan Captain says.

Gaara nods. That was true. A crew who just lost their Captain was bound to be one that was in disarray. Still such knowledge didn't completely soothe his anxieties. He glances back at the ship that was now in the distance and sighs. The English were not going to just forget about this incident.

Itachi gestures for Gaara to follow him back into the Cabin. The younger man does so without compliant. The last thing they needed was for the two Captains to be seen arguing.

"You're right to be worried, but I have every confidence that we will make it to the Isle of Lust long before they can catch us. Be at peace." Itachi tells him.

"We can out sail them this time, but what about next time? I try not to make a habit out of provoking royal fleets. I prefer to target merchant ships. The money is good and there is less of a chance that it will be my crew's necks that will hang." The red head counters.

Itachi smiles. The Captain of Suna was a cautious man by a pirate's standards. But he couldn't argue that it had served him well. The man's stolen loot could likely rival almost anyone's.

"At the moment, there is naught that we can do about the situation. You should rest. If the crews see that you are anxious, they will share your anxiety. That will naught help any of us." The elder Uchiha reasons.

"I suppose your right. If they do attack, we'll just slit their throats or force them to walk the plank." Gaara says.

"That's better." Itachi says with a smirk and kisses the red head's forehead.

Gaara blinks at the gesture. He doesn't know if it was intended to be chaste or not. His confusion must have shown in his eyes because Itachi decides to clarify his intentions.

"I'm certain that you've heard the rumors. Some are true. Some are exaggerations. Others are outright lies, but the rumor that I prefer to take men to my bed is entirely accurate." The other pirate says.

"I have no issue with that. Many pirates prefer the companionship of other men. It does not change how I see you in the slightest." The red headed Captain replies.

Itachi shakes his head in amusement. Well it wasn't an outright rejection, but it wasn't a yes either. He would just have to be blunt. Sometimes the direct approach really was best.

He leans down and brushes his lips against Gaara's. He sees other Captain's eyes widen, but he wasn't protesting. So Itachi deepens the kiss for a moment and then breaks it.

"Are you certain that it doesn't change your opinion of me at all?" He whispers.

"Well perhaps a little…in a favorable way." Came the reply.

Damn it. Itachi had been outrageous flirting with him the entire trip. He had now kissed him. Whether his intentions were innocent or not, Gaara only had so much self-control.

He wraps his arms around Itachi's neck. The younger man then proceeds to kiss him. Gaara poured everything he had into that kiss. All of his lust, his fear, and his longing for the other man. If they were possibly going to get hung by the English, at least he could say that he finally knew what it was like to kiss the pirate that had stolen his heart.

"You act rather shy for someone who can kiss like that." Itachi says, after returning the kiss.

His red head tasted of strawberries and red wine. For a man, his lips were surprisingly soft. That was countered by how aggressive he was with his tongue. There was a primal passion in the smaller man's kiss that Itachi did find rather intriguing.

"That wasn't an act. I have always felt…drawn to you. I just didn't know if the feeling was mutual. I thought your flirtations might have been a game for you. Something for you to pass the time and amuse yourself with." The red head admits.

"While I would like to play many kinds of games with you, you were never just a passing amusement." Itachi assures him and Gaara smiles.


Meanwhile Kakashi was back in the English Castle. Well one of the English Castles. There were many castles in England, after all. This happened to be the Queen's favorite though. So it was special in his mind.

Though Kakashi was only in his early thirties, his hair was as gray as an old man. He had just been born that way. If anyone dared to call his hair gray to his face though, he'd gut them like a fish. Smart people had learned a long time ago that the proper way to refer his hair was silver, not gray.

That was likely just one of the many reasons, why so many objected to his close relationship with the Queen. Kakashi didn't care though. The Queen was more annoyed at their gossiping than anything else. He knew his place in the Inner Circle and it was usually between the Queen's creamy thighs.

"Lord Hatake, the Queen will see you now." He hears one of the guards say.

"Thank you." Kakashi replies simply, finding the title to be rather amusing.

He was the furthest thing possible from a Lord. Kakashi was not of royal or noble blood. He was as common as they came.

His family had been poor, like much of the peasantry class. So when the opportunity to earn some extra money came, they took it. Kakashi had been a boy of ten when he joined a his first crew. It was a merchant ship. Most of his duties had consisted of floor mopping and other menial tasks. Still he had made the most of the opportunity.

"Good evening, Your Majesty. I trust you are well." Kakashi says as he heads into the Royal Throne room.

"Quite well. Thank you. Was your voyage a fruitful one?" The Queen asks.

Kakashi had listened to the sailors. While they hadn't gone out of their way to teach him anything useful, he learned everything he needed to know about running a ship. When his time on the merchant's ship was over, he had been able to find work on another. On that ship, he had managed to impress the Captain and become a more respectable member of the crew. Well at the very least he hadn't spent most of his time swapping the deck!

"Very fruitful, Your Highness. The royal coffers will be quite a bit fuller after my men have placed our haul into them." He states with a smile.

It had taken him ten years, but he had finally saved up enough money for his own ship. It had been a modest vessel, but he had used it to his full advantage. Once word of skillful privacy spread, somehow he caught the attention of the Queen.

Kakashi liked many things about the Queen. Of course there was her beauty and she was an excellent lover, but she was also a practical woman. She had spent several years in jail, while her elder sister was on the throne.

Her sister had gone mad with paranoia and thought that her sibling was plotting to assassinate her. Somehow she had outlived her sister and became Queen. The woman was a survivor.

"Excellent. That is good news to her indeed. Unfortunately, I expect that a war with the Spanish is unavoidable. We are going to need every coin we can get, if we are to defeat them. Their Armada is formidable." She states.

"Even the mightiest ship can be sunk, if struck just the right way. I would not fret on it." Kakashi assures her.

"How can I fret with you at my side?" She asks with a sly smile and reaches out her hand to her lover.

"Is that all you want me at? Only your side?" He asks as he takes her hand and sits with her on the throne.

Mei smiles. She was fortunate. So far she was the only English Queen of her age, that had not been forced to marry. That was not for a lack of trying on her advisors part though.

It wasn't that she was against the idea of marriage. She just knew that it couldn't be. Her lover was never a man that the noble classes would tolerate as King. Kakashi's origins were far too common for that to happen and his recent history far too scandalous. He was a legalized pirate and that was that. She didn't care though.

"Oh I can think of a few other places that I would like to have you. Though I do have some concerns. What do you know about the Sharingan and Konoha?" She asks.

"Pirate ships. The Sharingan is owned by a pair of brothers. Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha. They are very dedicated to each other. Konoha's Captain is a man named Naruto Uzumaki. The brothers are ruthless, but Naruto is reckless. Amongst the pirates, they are all feared and respected. Why do you ask, My Queen?" He inquires.

"I have heard whispers about them amongst the nobles. I wanted to know if they are a concern to us." She says.

Kakashi tilts his head to the side. Hmm. Well that was actually a good question. It seemed unlikely, but still he knew better than to say no.

"I find it unlikely. They will go after a royal vessel if they think they can get it, but they don't target us specifically. They are just as likely to go after a Spanish ship as one of our own." He says.

"Good. Well now that that unpleasant business is out of the way, shall we enjoy a stroll through the gardens." She asks with a smile.

"Yes, a stroll through your gardens does sound lovely." He says with a smile and walks off with his Queen.


Back on Konoha, Sasuke frowns. Itachi should have responded to his letter by now. Something was wrong. He could tell that Naruto had noticed it as well.

"We'll just have to keep heading towards the Isle of Lust and go on the assumption that they sailed there. If we can not find them, we will write the port that was closest to us currently." The blonde says.

"So you do have some brains in that head of yours, after all. I was beginning to wonder." Sasuke says.

"You are such a bastard! I meant what I said! I'm not going to tolerate this level of disrespect. I am your Captain as long as you are on Konoha!" Naruto thunders at him.

Sasuke smirks. It was far too easy to rile him up. He knew that he should feel guilty, but he didn't. He wanted to see what the blonde would do when he snapped. Maybe he'd get a good fight out of it.

"You are the Captain of Konoha, but you are not my Captain." Sasuke says as he walks off.

Naruto growls. Oh that was it! Gorgeous or not, that First Mate was going to end up walking the plank at this rate. He chases after him.

He was blocked though. Jugo got between them. The giant of a man was so massive that Naruto felt like he had just run into a brick wall.

"You know this whole pet dog thing is getting really annoying!" Naruto snaps at Sasuke.

"Don't refer to him as a dog or I will run you through." Sasuke snaps right back at the blonde.

"I am not his dog. I am his shield. If you attack him, you are attacking me as well." Jugo warns Naruto.

Suigetsu and Karin watch from their position of sitting on top of some large barrels of ale. Oh boy. This could get ugly and quickly. The two of them look at each other, as if silently asking if they should step in or not.

"This is madness. You two can not keep bickering like this! We need both of you to work together. Sasuke, the Sharingan crew listens to you. They respect you. Naruto, you are the Captain of this ship. If the two crews see their leaders fighting like this, it won't end well. We'll end up fighting each other, instead of finding treasure!" Sakura exclaims.

Sasuke sighs. As much as he was loathed to admit it, the pink haired woman had a point. Treasure came before pleasure. Always.

You generally needed treasure to engage in activities that resulted in pleasure. Drinking, gambling, or other more deviant acts were some examples. Not that he had ever had to pay to get someone into his bed, but still.

"She's right." Sasuke mutters.

Naruto just gapes at Sakura. He wasn't sure how the female member of his crew had gotten Sasuke to behave, but he was grateful. He sighs and approaches Sasuke.

Jugo had apparently decided it was safe to let the blonde through. The blue eyed pirate couldn't help but resent the orange haired man just a little bit. He was ALWAYS by Sasuke. He was like his fucking shadow or something.

"So are you going to be a good First Mate?" The captain asks.

"I'm the BEST First Mate…when I want to be. I still think Itachi is mad for agreeing to this journey in the first place, but Sakura is right. If we are seen fighting, it won't end well." Sasuke says and sighs.

He privately was mourning the loss of his fun. Of course the First Mate wouldn't admit that out loud. Sasuke would just have to find another way to entertain himself while on this adventure.

"We are all a little mad. If we weren't, we wouldn't be pirates." Naruto replies.

Sasuke smirks at that. Well that much was true. Maybe the boisterous Captain would still keep him entertained, even if they weren't fighting. He was actually…amusing.

"That much is true. I shouldn't have provoked you. I suppose I just miss my ship and my brother. You are just so easy to rile up, that I couldn't resist." Sasuke says with a shrug.

"Apology accepted!" Naruto says brightly.

"Oh that wasn't an apology." Sasuke says with smirk and Naruto raises an eyebrow.

"How was that not an apology, you bastard?!" The blue eyed man demands.

Sasuke Uchiha never apologized. Neither did Itachi. They were pirates and had decided long ago that pirates didn't bother with things like apologies. They were pointless.

"I said I shouldn't have done it. I didn't say that I was sorry I had." The Uchiha elaborates.

"That makes no sense!" Naruto protests at his First Mate's very strange logic.

"It doesn't have to. Good night, Captain." Sasuke says as he heads off with Jugo.

Naruto saw Jugo slide his hand around Sasuke's waist. He knew that the giant was likely just trying to make sure that the Uchiha wouldn't do anything stupid. Still it bothered him. He didn't like seeing the other man touching him.


Jugo leads Sasuke into his cabin. He shuts the door behind him. Sasuke rolls his eyes. He knew what was coming.

"You and Naruto really need to stop having these lovers' spats." He says.

"We aren't having lovers' spats. We aren't lovers. I know that the position looked suggestive, but that isn't what happened." Sasuke protests.

Jugo gives him a look. It was Sasuke. He knew the man like the back of his hand. He knew what was really going on, even if the First Mate didn't want to admit it to himself.

"You might not be lovers, but you want to be. Other than Itachi, no one's seriously challenged you in a long time. You are used to being in control. Now that you aren't, you don't know how to handle it. So you are lashing out at him because you want him." Jugo says.

"Jugo, don't try to understand what is going on in my mind. I assure you that it is not a place you want to visit." Sasuke warns him.

Sasuke frowns. Jugo's words cut deeper than they should have. Yes, Naruto was very pleasant to look at, but did he actually want him? Maybe. It was fun to taunt him and he could still remember the feeling of Naruto pressing up behind him.

Sasuke shivers as he remembers that incident in vivid detail. Goosebumps slowly formed on his arms. That's when he was forced to admit that his friend was right. Damned if he was going to admit that out loud though.


Back on the Isle of the Lost, Rin sighs as she wipes her blade. It was stained red with blood. Far more blood than even she was accustomed to. That was certainly saying something because she was an assassin by trade.

Every since Orochimaru's death, the Isle had sunk deeper and deeper into the depths of depravity and cruelty. Oh Tsunade and Jiraiya tried to watch over it, but they had their own Isle to attend to. There was really only so much they could do.

"Well that's another one down." The bartender says as he observes Rin.

"That's the fourteenth man this week. This is becoming tedious. I do hope that the Sannin sell this Isle soon. I would like to be able to find work, without having to leave a trail of bodies behind me. Bodies that I am not getting paid for." She mutters.

The bartender nods. He had been working at the Isle for years. Never before Orochimaru's death, had it been this chaotic. Quite honestly, if it wasn't for Rin, he wasn't sure that he would still be breathing.

Sometimes he wondered how such a beautiful woman had become an assassin. Surely, she must have had offers of marriage. He knew better than to ask though. Prying would only lead you to an early grave on the Isle of the Lost.

"I have to admit, I would prefer it if they were more focused on killing their targets than each other and having a go at me." He confesses.

Rin chuckles. Well she certainly couldn't blame the man there. She imagined most people would share his viewpoint on the subject.

She sighs as she looks around and assesses the damage. Tonight she had killed two men. They had been drunk off their arses and having a go at each other. Unfortunately, others were getting dragged into it. So she had put an end to it.

She calmly walks over to the bulletin board. On this board were a list of potential targets. It listed who was paying, how much, who they wanted dead, and sometimes what manner the wanted that person dispatched in. She skims through the names.

"Kakashi?" She whispers when she read the name.

Rin's eyes widen in shock. Could it really be the same boy that she had grown up with. She had no idea what became of her two friends, after Kakashi had become a cabin boy and Obito had been taken off to become a blacksmith apprentice.

Was it possible he was still alive? If it was him, someone wanted him dead badly. It was almost unheard of to see such a large payout listed. She takes the paper and rips it to shreds.

"I don't know if it's really you, Kakashi. But if it is, I won't let someone take your head." She mutters to herself.

She grabs another glass of ale and heads out of the tavern. Granted the Liquor Isle had better drinks, but this would do. She didn't care much for the flavor. She just wanted something strong enough to banish away the memories, at least for a little while.

There was no point in dwelling on the past. Rin had learned that long ago. That was how she had managed to become such an excellent assassin. Almost as quickly she killed her victims, they were forgotten.

"It's not as though the world will miss them." She muses to herself as she takes a hearty sip of her ale.

Rin got to choose her missions. She made it a habit to only kill those that she felt were deserving of death. No man or woman on her kill list was ever completely innocent. That made accepting blood money, easier for her.

The assassin looks up at the sky. She saw a shooting star. She smiles. It was a foolish notion, she realized that. Still Rin could not help but make her wish anyway.

Did the woman expect it to come true? Of course not. Perhaps it was the ale that made her do it, but she continues on with the sentimental tradition anyway.

"I wish that I could find them and that they were still alive." She whispers at the dark starry night sky.

Little did Rin know that her wish would come true. Just not in the way she expected. But those were minor details. She really should have been more specific.